Call to Arms (Saxon album)
Encyclopedia
Call To Arms is the 19th studio album
by British
heavy metal
band Saxon
. Call to Arms was released the 3 June in Europe; 6 June in Denmark, Finland, and the UK; 8 June in Greece and Poland; 10 June in France. Previously, it was due to be released on 23 May 2011. The album was released on 27 September in North America by EMI. Current Deep Purple
keyboardist Don Airey
made a guest appearance on the album.
A digipack version of the album for the North American market featured a seven track bonus disc containing Saxon's performance at Castle Donington in 1980.
Call to Arms debuted at number 6 on the UK Rock Albums chart. In the US, the album sold about 700 copies in its first week of release.
Two of the tracks on the album were written by the band for the movie Hybrid Theory.
A music video was made for the title track, and was released on 5 August 2011.
The album artwork is derived from Lord Kitchener Wants You
, a World War I
-era British Army recruitment poster.
Saxon frontman Biff Byford
has said that the band wanted to "get back to [their] roots," and aimed for a "more working-class sound" with the album.
. Rivadavia ultimately said that Call to Arms can be seen as an "aesthetic cousin" to Denim and Leather
from 1981.
and Crimes of Passion opened for Saxon in Europe, while the North American shows were opened by Borealis. HammerFall
appeared as special guests at the UK shows, while Vanderbuys were presented as special guests at shows in Spain.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
. Call to Arms was released the 3 June in Europe; 6 June in Denmark, Finland, and the UK; 8 June in Greece and Poland; 10 June in France. Previously, it was due to be released on 23 May 2011. The album was released on 27 September in North America by EMI. Current Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
keyboardist Don Airey
Don Airey
Donald Airey has been the keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple since 2002, succeeding Jon Lord...
made a guest appearance on the album.
A digipack version of the album for the North American market featured a seven track bonus disc containing Saxon's performance at Castle Donington in 1980.
Call to Arms debuted at number 6 on the UK Rock Albums chart. In the US, the album sold about 700 copies in its first week of release.
Two of the tracks on the album were written by the band for the movie Hybrid Theory.
A music video was made for the title track, and was released on 5 August 2011.
The album artwork is derived from Lord Kitchener Wants You
Lord Kitchener Wants You
A 1914 recruitment poster depicting Lord Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for War, above the words "WANTS YOU" was the most famous image used in the British Army recruitment campaign of World War I. It has inspired many imitations.-Origins:...
, a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
-era British Army recruitment poster.
Saxon frontman Biff Byford
Biff Byford
Peter Rodney "Biff" Byford is an English rock singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Saxon. Byford formed Son of a Bitch with guitarists Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn, bassist Steve Dawson and drummer Pete Gill in 1976...
has said that the band wanted to "get back to [their] roots," and aimed for a "more working-class sound" with the album.
Reception
Allmusic rated the album as 3.5/5 stars. Reviewer Eduardo Rivadavia commented that the band seems to have "stripped down" their sound. Rivadavia stated that "Surviving Against the Odds", "Chasing the Bullet" and "Ballad of the Working Man" were "refreshingly raw and direct". He also compared "Hammer of the Gods" and "Afterburner" to proto-thrashThrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
. Rivadavia ultimately said that Call to Arms can be seen as an "aesthetic cousin" to Denim and Leather
Denim and Leather
Denim and Leather is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon released in 1981 . The name of the album and song was inspired by the popular attire of metalheads in the early 1980s, defined by denim pants and leather jackets...
from 1981.
Promotion
To promote the album, Saxon have embarked on the "Call to Arms World Tour". The band headlined shows in Europe, North and South America, and Japan. AnvilAnvil (band)
Anvil is a Canadian heavy metal band comprising Steve "Lips" Kudlow , Robb Reiner , and Glenn Five...
and Crimes of Passion opened for Saxon in Europe, while the North American shows were opened by Borealis. HammerFall
HammerFall
HammerFall is a power metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.- Early days :...
appeared as special guests at the UK shows, while Vanderbuys were presented as special guests at shows in Spain.
Track listing
North America bonus disc "Live at Donington 1980"
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Rock Albums | 6 |
| Germany | 18 |
| Sweden | 19 |
Credits
- Biff ByfordBiff ByfordPeter Rodney "Biff" Byford is an English rock singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Saxon. Byford formed Son of a Bitch with guitarists Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn, bassist Steve Dawson and drummer Pete Gill in 1976...
- lead vocals - Paul QuinnPaul Quinn (guitarist)Paul Quinn is an English lead guitarist, and the founding member of the NWOBHM band, Saxon. Other than Biff Byford, Quinn is the only remaining member of Saxon's original line up, and is present on every Saxon release...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Doug Scarratt - guitar
- Nibbs CarterNibbs CarterTimothy 'Nibbs' Carter , British born bassist for heavy metal band Saxon. He is the most enduring bass player in Saxon history, appearing on thirteen of their albums...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Nigel GlocklerNigel GlocklerNigel Glockler is an English drummer for the NWOBHM band, Saxon.His first professional musical experience was the UK band Krakatoa, followed by session work. He joined Toyah Willcox's band in late 1980...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....